The Rise, The Fall and Redemption of Percy Jackson
by D.J. Tango
Summary: Tartarus can change a person by unfathomable means. After three years of torture by Kronos, Percy is finally released from Tartarus. But he is not the same happy Percy. He changed a lot and Kronos is coming back to finish him off. Has bits of Romance.
1. I

**A/N** Hey guys, Heres chp 1 As always CC is apperciated.

**Disclamier:** I do Not Nor will ever own anything from PJO or From the brink by darkmyyst( some parts are taken from their story)

**Chapter one**

Camp Half-Blood

_"Mother, you can't let this happen! You're the goddess of wisdom, so you know how bad of a decision this is! You have to stop them!"_

_"Annabeth, I cannot."_

_"You must. He cannot be allowed to go free. He has to remain imprisoned. Please! After what he did, how many he killed in cold blood…"_

_"Annabeth, I cannot do anything. This decision came unanimously. He saved Olympus. Twice. And we imprisoned him to the worst possible fate for that. We have wronged him, and we look to correct that mistake. Though I'd rather we leave him where he is, we cannot deny what he's done."_

_"He saved Olympus…twice?"_

_Athena shook her head, the Iris Message doing nothing to detract from her beauty. "I'll explain once we get there."_

_"Get here? Wait, you're coming here?! To Camp Half-Blood?!"_

_"Yes, this issue requires our…personal attention, Annabeth."_

_"But mother-"_

_"No more, just wait for me there." With that, Athena severed the connection._

_Annabeth sat back and huffed. This was ridiculous! Even her own mother wouldn't listen to her, and Athena even hated the person in question. And why were the gods coming here? He was in Tartarus, so why would they come here for his release? And then it hit her. He was coming here. This was his destination after he had been set free._

_That he was coming here?" Annabeth nodded mutely. "Yep."_

_"Why the Hades didn't you tell me?"_

_"For this reason right here, obviously. You're about to get all riled up and high and mighty aren't you?"_

_"No I'm not! You should've told me! Then I could have at least prepared a little, tried to convince the gods that this isn't the right place, that it isn't safe to bring him here, that he poses a possible threat to each and every Demi-" Annabeth stopped when she caught Thalia rolling her eyes. "What is that look for?"_

_"Because, you're doing exactly what I said you'd do."_

_"I…damn you."_

_Thalia smiled brightly. "Love you too, Annabeth."_

_Annabeth did not return the smile. Rather she slouched over the table and put her head in her hands. "What the Hades is going on, Thalia? They promised us that after he went insane, he would never be seen again. And now, only three years later, he's coming back. Why? Why did they suddenly change their minds?"_

_Thalia shrugged. "They're the gods. They change their minds all the time, sometimes it's not for the best." A peal of thunder sounded out across the sky. Thalia looked up. "Calm down, Dad." She turned back to Annabeth. "Besides, for once, I'm happy they're having a change of heart."_

_Annabeth stared at her from in between her fingers. "What?"_

_"I'm happy, Annabeth. He was my friend too, you know. I miss him." (More than anyone else knows) she silently added "And I know that he had a reason for doing what he did after the final battle. He wasn't…like that, you know? He was always the strong, stable one." She chuckled. "He may not have been the most intelligent, but he would never hurt his friends. Ever."_

_"But Thalia-"_

_"Maybe you should listen to her, Annabeth." Luke walked over and sat beside her on the other side, so she was sandwiched between them. "He wasn't a bad person, Annabeth. He never betrayed a single one of his friends, and always did everything he could to protect them."_

_"Then explain what happened after he defeated Kronos!"_

_Luke shrugged and Thalia spoke up, "The truth is, Annabeth, we can't. Nobody can. Maybe he really did lose his mind, went insane from everything that he had been burdened with. If he did, could you blame him? He had the weight of the world on his shoulders, both literally and figuratively. The world depended on what choice he made, and he had to protect his friends. He bore Achilles' curse, invincible but at a terrible price. Everyone expected everything from him, and maybe he just couldn't hold that any longer. For the gods' sakes Annabeth, his soul was even separated from his body in the final battle. We have no clue what that did to his mind. Either way, I'll go on thinking that he had a reason for what he did. What surprises me is that you don't. That you were so quick to persecute him along with everybody else. You were his closest friend, Annabeth."_

_"Were being the key word there."_

Somewhere near camp half-blood

The fresh breeze and heat of the sun felt wonderful on the charred and scarred body of Percy. Percy and Grover walked at a brisk pace since the cab dropped them off. Grover had finally had mustered up enough courage to finally ask Percy how he got the giant scar that ran from his left temple down to his neck, to which he simply replied Kronos as if it explained everything. Grover once during their trip asked about Percy and Annabeth and that was one place he did not want to go to again.

"Hey Grover"

"Yeah, Percy"

"How's Camp been without me?"

"Pretty boring without you there Perce everything just slowed down." Percy chuckled "People are afraid of you now even some of the Ares campers."He laughed even harder at the thought of Ares campers afraid of him "Oh yeah, I also forgot Thalia's back she got kicked out from the Hunters when Artemis noticed she has been hanging out with Nico and entering Tartarus to see you."

"Wow a lot changed, but Thalia's back that's great." Percy's eyes shone when he mentioned Thalia. thundering paws were heard by Grover and Percy a couple of hundred feet in front of them where Mrs. O'Leary was bounding towards them and in a couple seconds had tackled Percy who was laughing even harder now due to Mrs. O'Leary.

"And now a lot more is going to as well" Grover bleated while laughing at Percy and Mrs. O'Leary. When he saw the 12 Olympians standing inside camp half bloods borders.


	2. II

**A/N** Hey guys, Heres chp 1 As always CC is apperciated.

**Disclamier:** I do Not Nor will ever own anything from PJO or From the brink by darkmyyst( some parts are taken from their story)

**Chapter one**

Camp Half-Blood

_"Mother, you can't let this happen! You're the goddess of wisdom, so you know how bad of a decision this is! You have to stop them!"_

_"Annabeth, I cannot."_

_"You must. He cannot be allowed to go free. He has to remain imprisoned. Please! After what he did, how many he killed in cold blood…"_

_"Annabeth, I cannot do anything. This decision came unanimously. He saved Olympus. Twice. And we imprisoned him to the worst possible fate for that. We have wronged him, and we look to correct that mistake. Though I'd rather we leave him where he is, we cannot deny what he's done."_

_"He saved Olympus…twice?"_

_Athena shook her head, the Iris Message doing nothing to detract from her beauty. "I'll explain once we get there."_

_"Get here? Wait, you're coming here?! To Camp Half-Blood?!"_

_"Yes, this issue requires our…personal attention, Annabeth."_

_"But mother-"_

_"No more, just wait for me there." With that, Athena severed the connection._

_Annabeth sat back and huffed. This was ridiculous! Even her own mother wouldn't listen to her, and Athena even hated the person in question. And why were the gods coming here? He was in Tartarus, so why would they come here for his release? And then it hit her. He was coming here. This was his destination after he had been set free._

_That he was coming here?" Annabeth nodded mutely. "Yep."_

_"Why the Hades didn't you tell me?"_

_"For this reason right here, obviously. You're about to get all riled up and high and mighty aren't you?"_

_"No I'm not! You should've told me! Then I could have at least prepared a little, tried to convince the gods that this isn't the right place, that it isn't safe to bring him here, that he poses a possible threat to each and every Demi-" Annabeth stopped when she caught Thalia rolling her eyes. "What is that look for?"_

_"Because, you're doing exactly what I said you'd do."_

_"I…damn you."_

_Thalia smiled brightly. "Love you too, Annabeth."_

_Annabeth did not return the smile. Rather she slouched over the table and put her head in her hands. "What the Hades is going on, Thalia? They promised us that after he went insane, he would never be seen again. And now, only three years later, he's coming back. Why? Why did they suddenly change their minds?"_

_Thalia shrugged. "They're the gods. They change their minds all the time, sometimes it's not for the best." A peal of thunder sounded out across the sky. Thalia looked up. "Calm down, Dad." She turned back to Annabeth. "Besides, for once, I'm happy they're having a change of heart."_

_Annabeth stared at her from in between her fingers. "What?"_

_"I'm happy, Annabeth. He was my friend too, you know. I miss him." (More than anyone else knows) she silently added "And I know that he had a reason for doing what he did after the final battle. He wasn't…like that, you know? He was always the strong, stable one." She chuckled. "He may not have been the most intelligent, but he would never hurt his friends. Ever."_

_"But Thalia-"_

_"Maybe you should listen to her, Annabeth." Luke walked over and sat beside her on the other side, so she was sandwiched between them. "He wasn't a bad person, Annabeth. He never betrayed a single one of his friends, and always did everything he could to protect them."_

_"Then explain what happened after he defeated Kronos!"_

_Luke shrugged and Thalia spoke up, "The truth is, Annabeth, we can't. Nobody can. Maybe he really did lose his mind, went insane from everything that he had been burdened with. If he did, could you blame him? He had the weight of the world on his shoulders, both literally and figuratively. The world depended on what choice he made, and he had to protect his friends. He bore Achilles' curse, invincible but at a terrible price. Everyone expected everything from him, and maybe he just couldn't hold that any longer. For the gods' sakes Annabeth, his soul was even separated from his body in the final battle. We have no clue what that did to his mind. Either way, I'll go on thinking that he had a reason for what he did. What surprises me is that you don't. That you were so quick to persecute him along with everybody else. You were his closest friend, Annabeth."_

_"Were being the key word there."_

Somewhere near camp half-blood

The fresh breeze and heat of the sun felt wonderful on the charred and scarred body of Percy. Percy and Grover walked at a brisk pace since the cab dropped them off. Grover had finally had mustered up enough courage to finally ask Percy how he got the giant scar that ran from his left temple down to his neck, to which he simply replied Kronos as if it explained everything. Grover once during their trip asked about Percy and Annabeth and that was one place he did not want to go to again.

"Hey Grover"

"Yeah, Percy"

"How's Camp been without me?"

"Pretty boring without you there Perce everything just slowed down." Percy chuckled "People are afraid of you now even some of the Ares campers."He laughed even harder at the thought of Ares campers afraid of him "Oh yeah, I also forgot Thalia's back she got kicked out from the Hunters when Artemis noticed she has been hanging out with Nico and entering Tartarus to see you."

"Wow a lot changed, but Thalia's back that's great." Percy's eyes shone when he mentioned Thalia. thundering paws were heard by Grover and Percy a couple of hundred feet in front of them where Mrs. O'Leary was bounding towards them and in a couple seconds had tackled Percy who was laughing even harder now due to Mrs. O'Leary.

"And now a lot more is going to as well" Grover bleated while laughing at Percy and Mrs. O'Leary. When he saw the 12 Olympians standing inside camp half bloods borders.


	3. III

**A/N** Hey guys, Heres chp 2 As always CC is apperciated. Thiis is a little longer than usual and it ties somethings together.

**Disclamier:** I do Not Nor will ever own anything from PJO or From the brink by darkmyyst( some parts are taken from their story)

**

* * *

**

Chapter 2

Camp Half Blood

_Nico's face lit up. "Mrs. O'Leary. So she's doing well then."_

_"She sounds awfully excited about something," Luke remarked._

_"Yeah, it sounds like when she used to greet Perc-" Annabeth's remark died in her throat and the four demigods stared at each other with wide eyes. They looked towards the other end of the table, where Mr. D and Chiron had been playing chess, but they were nowhere to be seen. And then they bolted out of their seats and out of the door, just in time to see Mrs. O'Leary, the only friendly hellhound anybody had ever seen, bounding past Thalia's tree and down the other side of the hill. They pulled to an abrupt halt. Standing at the top of the hill, ringed around the tree, were twelve figures that radiated power and authority._

_"The gods, they're here. Then…Mrs. O'Leary…" Annabeth's voice was weak_

_"Was going to him. He's here. He's back." Nico couldn't keep the joy out of his voice._

_"We should go greet him," Thalia's voice was equally full of mirth. Her eyes were bright and she looked ready to sprint over the hill after the fashion of Mrs. O'Leary. Nico put a hand on her shoulder before she could take a step though. She gave him a questioning look. "Nic?"_

_"I'll give you guys fair warning right now, he's not the same."_

_"How would you know?" Annabeth, always the logical one._

_"For several reasons. First, I know what Tartarus can do to a person, especially one who's still living. Second, he was locked up with his worst enemy, that being the Titan Lord. He was tortured, long and hard, and that normally changes a person. Third, I've been to see him before. I'm a son of Hades, I have permission to go where I will in the land of the dead and there is no chance harm will come to me, even from Tartarus and its inhabitants. He's not the same."_

_"You're telling us this now…why?"_

_"So that you're ready for what you'll see."_

_"Whatever, Nic. don't forget I've been there too, can we go now?"_

_"Wait, Thalia! What do you mean you've been there? You visited him while he was imprisoned?"_

_Thalia looked Annabeth dead in the eyes. "Yeah, I did. I asked Nico if I could tag along once. That's what got me kicked out of the Hunters, He didn't say anything to me, he couldn't. He was too busy trying to hold himself together. I saw what they did to him," Thalia's voice cracked. "I can barely believe he's still alive after three years of that." She shuddered and turned back to the hill. "Let's go."_

_The group of demigods marched to the top of the hill. Along the way they were joined by a few campers who had noticed something was up. At the top of the hill they bowed before the gods and stood in a line off to one side. They stared off in the distance, waiting for him to show up._

**Camp Half-Blood Borders**

Percy had come until he crested the hill and stood among all of them. Grover clopped up beside him. The satyr would never miss the return of his best friend, and he had escorted him all the way from Hades. Grover was edging farther and farther away from Mrs. O'Leary though, who had happily flopped down beside her master. Annabeth slowly raised her eyes from the ground, taking in his appearance from the feet up.

Shoes, jeans, white T-shirt, overtop was a dark greyish green jacket. The son of Poseidon had a bag looped over one shoulder and across his chest, like a mailbag. His left palm and wrist were bandaged, wrapped in white gauze, but the extent of the injury couldn't be judged. Slowly her eyes slid up to his head, then to his face. His hair was even longer now; reaching down to his shoulders, black locks of it fell over his face. Annabeth gasped as she saw the livid scar that stretched from his left temple all the way down to the base of his throat.

But that was nothing compared to his eyes.

They were still the same shade of beautiful green that she had known 6 years ago and that she had grown to hate in the past three years the only difference they seemed deeper now. They had lost much of the mirth she had once looked forward to in those eyes, and it had been replaced with pain. There was so much there she could almost feel the things he had suffered through while she stared at him. His eyes were so much…darker than they had been. His eyes roamed right along to the people standing next to her. And before she could react, he started walking towards them. He walked up to Thalia first, who had tears in her eyes. Actual tears, from _Thalia_. She reached up and touched his cheek before throwing herself at him and embracing him tightly. He hugged her back just as hard. "I missed you, so much," she whispered.

"I missed you too, more than you know," he replied.

She sob-chuckled and said half-heartedly, "I doubt that, I know everything, remember?"

He gave her a crooked grin. "How could I forget?" He released her and moved to the next person. "Nico."

"Percy." They looked at each other for a second before reaching out laughing and grasping each other's forearms. "It's good to have you back."

"It's good be back. I need to thank you two. You and Thalia. Even if it didn't seem like I noticed, I saw you two come to visit me, and that kept me going. Thank you two, so much." He released Nico's arm and patted him on the shoulder. He moved again down the line. He stopped in front of Luke. Annabeth could feel the tension between the two. "So you're this side of the line this time, eh?" Luke just continued to stare at him. "I know about Kronos, Luke, and what he did to you. And while you're still partially at fault, the majority of the blame was his." He offered his hand to Luke, who shook it numbly.

"You're…you're…forgiving me, just like that?"

"Luke, bear in mind I was part of you, even if only for an instant. I knew everything going through your head. I also couldn't have defeated Kronos without your help. Let's call it even."

Luke smiled, "Let's."

"Besides, I need someone who can stand up to me in sword combat anyway."

Luke chuckled, "You're on, Jackson."

"I look forward to it." Percy then turned around and started walking back toward the gods.

Annabeth was confused, had Percy not noticed her? How could he not have seen her here, when she was not a foot from Luke? "Percy…?" she said quietly.

He turned and looked at her with cold, hard eyes. "What is it, daughter of Athena?" His voice was emotionless and frigid as a glacier. Annabeth was speechless; this wasn't like the Percy she knew. Nico's words came back her now. _He's not the same_. But she knew that this wasn't just a change caused by Tartarus or his imprisonment. After all, he had been friendly and warm to everybody else, even Luke, whom she thought he had hated. This change, it had been caused by her. It was her fault, because of she had turned against him when she should've stayed by his side and supported him. "Nothing to say? Then don't bother me." She felt like someone had punched her in the gut. Her breath left her body and her knees went weak for the second time.

"B-but Percy, I-I-"

She was caught off by a loud voice that carried tremendous power. "PERSEUS JACKSON!" It was Zeus, and he was fuming. "Why did you not show us proper respect when you saw us?"

"I was saying hello to my friends. I haven't seen them in three years, you know?" Percy leaned down and scratched Mrs. O'Leary behind her ear.

"You have done that now, so kneel before us, as you are supposed to."

Percy laughed. He laughed hard, and his laughter didn't quite sound sane, it had a hysterical quality to it. "Kneel? To you? You who have caused me so much misery and pain? Do you even know or care what I went through? I don't think so."

Zeus looked as though someone had slapped him in the face, and the other gods had similar expressions. Only Poseidon seemed unfazed by the declaration.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, BOY?!"

"I said I wouldn't kneel to you." Percy's voice was bitter and full of anger. "I fought your fucking war for you. Correction, I _won_ your fucking war for you. I saved your damn home, _twice_ and on top of that Found your damn master bolt. And how did you repay me? By throwing me into the deepest pits of the underworld with Kronos for three years. No, I will not kneel to you. And if you have a problem with that, try and make me." He drew a pen from his pocket, uncapped it, and the celestial bronze sword Riptide grew in his hand.

"Percy! What the Hades do you think you're doing?!" Thalia screamed at him with tears stinging at her eyes.

"Peeeeercy," Grover bleated.

But he kept his eyes locked on Zeus. The god was so angry that electricity was literally crackling around him. "You do realize, mortal, that you have been stripped of the Curse of Achilles?"

"I realized that a long time ago, 'bout the time I ran into Kronos and honestly I don't give a shit."

"THEN KNEEL!"

"I said NO!" The ground shook and cracks appeared in the ground, water spouted up into the air all over and swirled around Percy. "I will not kneel to you."

Zeus glared at him. "We will discuss this later." Then he and the rest of the gods revealed their true forms and vanished. All was silent for a moment, before Mr. D, apparently the only god who didn't leave, walked up to Percy. The water had receded back into the earth.

"Well, you certainly do have a way of announcing your return, don't you, Johnson? Now shoo, you're annoying me. Go to your cabin or canoeing or whatever you kids do at this place."

Percy capped riptide and grinned at Mr. D. "Of course, sir." And he set off down the hill, back into the camp and the world he had been missing for three long years.


	4. IV

**A/N** Hey guys, Heres chapter 3 As always CC is apperciated. This should fill in why he resents Annabeth.

**Disclamier:** I do Not Nor will ever own anything from PJO or From the brink by darkmyyst( some parts are taken from their story)

**Chapter 3**

Sword smashed against sword, sparks striking out across the baked ground. The blades bounced off of one another before spinning and coming back in for another strike. Their wielders stumbled back from the next blow and looked at one another before beginning to laugh. They laughed long and they laughed hard, and the teenager with black hair ended up on the ground, holding his sides. The blonde haired man beside him was doubled up with mirth.

"It's-it's been wa-way too long since I've used a sword," Percy managed to gasp out in between fits of laughter.

Luke chuckled before offering Percy a hand up, which he accepted gratefully. "To be honest, you haven't lost a grain of skill, you're still the only person I know who can keep up with me."

"It's kinda like learning to ride a bike, you just don't forget. It's like it's hardwired in here," Percy said as he tapped his end head with the flat edge of Riptide. Percy inhaled deeply and looked up at the sky over the training ground. "Gods does it feel good to be back out in the open. It sure brings back some memories doesn't it? Us dueling each other like this?"

"Listen, Percy…About everything, I just wanted to say-"

"I know what you want to say, and like I said, forget it. It's done and in the past. I know what you did and how hard you fought against Kronos, and I hold nothing against you." Percy said standing at the cliff overlooking the ocean.

"But-"

"Drop it, Luke. Unless you want me to be angry and resentful with you?"

"I'll pass thanks." There was a moment of comfortable silence between the two before Luke spoke up, "Can I, uh, ask you something, Percy?"

"I'm sure you can, provided your voice doesn't suddenly stop working or something," Percy said with a grin.

"Okay, smartass, _May_ I ask you a question?"

"You just did, but shoot anyway."

Luke took a deep breath. "If you can so readily forgive me, than why not Annabeth?" He immediately wished he hadn't asked. Percy's body stiffened. The small sliver of happiness in his eyes instantly drained away, to be replaced with a cold, unfeeling look.

"…Some things are not easily forgiven, Luke."

"But Percy, this is Annabeth we're talking about here! You know how hotheaded and foolish she can get! You were best friends, and I know that you-"

"Enough, Luke," Percy cut him off harshly. "I don't want to discuss this." Luke closed his mouth. "I believe it's nearly time for lunch, let's go." They set off toward the dining pavilion.

When they arrived, the pavilion was already full with loudly talking campers. Percy murmured a goodbye and slid off to the Poseidon table to sit on his own. Luke took a seat at the Hermes cabin and quickly got caught up in the newest plot of the Stoll brothers.

Percy glowered at his roast beef sandwich, not feeling particularly hungry. He heard Grover clop over and plop himself down beside him. "How was sword practice?" he asked while gnawing on a tin can.

"Fine."

"That's good." Grover gave Percy a contemplative look before sighing. "Luke asked about Annabeth didn't he?" Percy gave an almost imperceptive nod. "Just forget about it, k? She—It's not worth the effort of worrying about it."

"Whatever the goat's saying, I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and agree with him."

Grover bleated indignantly, "Well good afternoon to you too, Thalia."

"Stuff it, Goaty." She sat down across from Percy and looked at him before reaching across the table and grabbing his hand and saying sincerely. "Hey, are you ok?"

Percy looked up at her, and she saw an emotion flash through his eyes. Happiness? Pain? Fear? Love? Whatever it was as soon as it appeared it was gone. Then his eyes had reverted back to the cold emptiness they had been ever since he had come back. He gave her hand a slight squeeze but didn't let go "I'm fine, promise."

Thalia was doubting this statement more and more every time he told her it though. She could see that Percy really wasn't in any better condition than he was a week ago, when he arrived. If anything, he looked almost worst. His face was haggard and there were deep circles under his eyes, he obviously was not sleeping well. The bandage was still on his left arm, but she still did not know how serious his injury was, because he only ever wore long-sleeved shirts. Even after she had essentially moved into his cabin, he had been sure that she had never seen him shirtless.

Thalia had very much taken on the role of his mom after Percy had come back. For the first few days, she had hovered close by him to make sure everything was ok. She soon realized that everything was far from ok. It had started when she heard him quietly muttering to himself when no one else was around. She never caught exactly what he was saying, but it didn't sound healthy or happy. She had brushed it off as residual backlash from what he had endured. However, it wasn't long after that until Thalia heard him screaming in the middle of the night. She had dashed out of her cabin and over to his to find him thrashing about on his bed, his body arcing in pain and mouth wide open in a bloodcurdling scream of agony.

She had quickly shaken him awake, only to find herself on the floor with a celestial bronze sword pressing against her neck. But she didn't panic, she had reached up and placed her hands comfortingly on Percy's cheeks, calling his name and letting him know who it was. When his eyes had cleared and he realized where he was and what he had been doing, he had collapsed into a helpless ball and wailed. Thalia had embraced him and stayed with him until he fell asleep and then carefully moved him back to his bed. It was then she took it upon herself to watch over him. She moved her essential items over to his cabin and began spending her nights there. It was because of this that she knew Percy was sleeping horribly.

After the first night, nothing that serious had happened again, but she often woke in the middle of the night to Percy sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands, whispering quietly to himself in a broken voice, "No, oh gods, no. Please, no. Help me, help me. Dad, dad, help. Mom? Mom where are you? Grover? Thalia? Nico? Thalia!?" On these occasions she had moved so that she was sitting next to him and put a comforting arm around him. She had gently whispered soothing words in his ear it calmed him down but only to start back up when she left. It was breaking her heart to watch him fall apart like this. To be perfectly honest, she was no longer sure Percy was entirely sane. She was beginning to think that the damage done to him might be irreparable.

She had let Nico, Grover, and Luke know what was going on, and they were all as equally concerned as she was. They had no suggestions for how to help him through it either, only that they should continue to be there for him, and never leave him alone. And so they made sure that at least one of them was always with him. It would have been easier if Annabeth could help them, but seeing as how Percy was avoiding her as if she was Medusa and how he closed up all emotional access at the mere mention of her, there was nothing any of them could do about it. Besides, Thalia herself was no longer sure of Annabeth. She had never thought that Annabeth would turn against one of her best friends like that not only that but not wanting him to be pardoned from Tartarus , and it had partially unseated Thalia's trust in a certain daughter of Athena.

Her mind snapped back to the present after Nico took a seat beside her and asked. "Well what's the good news today?"

"The sun's shining?"

"I said _good_ news, Grover," Nico said while shaking his head. "You surface dwellers and your sun, I'll never understand why you love a bright, fiery chariot so much. It actually burns your skin! And yet you love it, makes absolutely no sense."

"Just because we don't have a fetish for all things dead, dark and gloomy like yourself, Nic, doesn't mean we can't enjoy the sun."

Nico stuck his tongue out at her before turning to Percy. "Yo, Perce, feel like tackling the climbing wall after lunch? It's been awhile since I've climbed and having someone there in case I fall would be comforting."

Thalia snorted. "If you fell, would you even die? Wouldn't you just like, appear inside your father's palace or something?"

Nico scowled at her. "Just because I'm a child of Hades doesn't give me any special privileges, Bianca proved that." Nico's tone had sobered up a bit, but he still gave Percy a small nudge. "Whaddaya say? Climbing wall?"

Percy felt a ghost of a grin pull at his mouth. "Sure."

"By the Five Rivers of Hades, this is far more difficult than I remember!" Nico screamed as a boulder narrowly missed his head and bounced on down the cliff. He glanced upward, to where Percy was forging his own path up the rocks. "How ya holding, Percy?" A grunt was the only answer he got. "Right then. Be sure not to fall, if you do, Thalia and Grover might laugh at you, despite the fact that you're harnessed in." He looked back over his shoulder, checking that the aforementioned Grover and Thalia, who had decided to tag along, were still there. Nico hoisted himself up to small ledge, where he took a moment to catch his breath and look around to plan his next path. _Hmm…getting past that lava flow there's going to prove difficult. Wonder how Percy did it. Speaking of Percy, where is that kelp head?_ His question was soon answered when he heard said son of Poseidon start laughing. He shifted his weight and looked up, seeing Percy near the top of the wall.

_Wonder why he's laughing. _Nico thought as Percy continued to laugh, Nico began to become worried. Something was wrong, there was nothing to laugh at, and Percy's laugh was becoming hysterical. Nico caught a glimpse of his eyes, and saw them wide open. There was no happiness, no mirth in them, only fear and madness. He heard a small metallic click. Before he could identify what is was, he saw the rope that would support Percy's weight if he fell go slack. "Percy!" Nico said loudly. He was really beginning to panic now. Percy began to lean backward. "PERCY!" He roared. He began to throw himself across the rock, trying to reach his friend, but he knew he was too late. Percy let go of the cliff face and began to plummet to the ground, sixty feet below.

He caught Nico's eye on the way down, a huge grin still plastered to his face. Now…now everything would stop hurting. His arm, his chest, his head. It was the simplest solution ever, how had he not thought it up before? It all made sense, and it was hilarious to him that it had never occurred to him before. He slowly closed his eyes and waited for his release.

His eyes opened rather reluctantly, and his vision was blurry. He found he couldn't move and that his head was throbbing something fierce. He could hear sounds around him, but they were all terribly muffled, to the point where he could understand nothing. He strained his senses, and suddenly the sounds became clearer and distinguished themselves. There were people speaking at the foot of his bed, people who obviously hadn't noticed he was awake yet. He decided to keep it that way, and listen in on what they were saying.

"-ry, so sorry, I should've noticed sooner what he was doing, I should've-"

"Nic, it's ok, it wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was Thalia. I suggested the climbing wall, and then I wasn't watching close enough. I could've found a way to-"

"Nico, stop it. It's ok; there was nothing you could have done. You couldn't have known he was going to do that, none of us could have."

"Somehow I think there's one person who would've figured it out, Luke. She knows him inside and out, remember?"

An angry braying filled the room. "They're not talking though, remember? I don't think they will again, But that doesn't matter right now, what matters is _why_?"

There was silence for a few heartbeats before Luke spoke up, "I'm beginning to wonder if Percy's…mentally unbalanced."

"I believe the term is _insane_, Luke," Nico put in.

"It has something to do with what Kronos did to him in Tartarus, I think," Thalia said quietly.

"Thank you , Brigadier General Obvious." There was the distinctive sound of knuckles hitting flesh. "Ow! Dammit, Thalia." Nico yelled.

"_Brigadier General_ Obvious?" Luke questioned.

Percy could practically feel Nico's shrug as he replied, "I don't think the poor guy should remain a Captain his whole life, you know? I mean, he's obviously well known so I figure he deserves a promotion."

Percy pictured Thalia's eyes rolling at Nico's explanation. "Anyway, we need to do something about this. It can't continue like this, he'll end up tearing himself apart at this rate."

"We have to keep someone on him at all times, and I don't think we should let him on the wall for awhile."

"I wish we could ask the gods to help us with this, but with Percy's stunt last time, I don't think they'll be in a very helpful mood."

"Hmm…that's a good idea, Grover, though you're right about the gods. Instead, we should get someone really close to him to talk to him."

"You mean Mrs. Jackson?"

"Mhm. Besides, I think it's about time that she knew her son was still alive. I think it's about time we told her the truth of what happened three years ago."

Percy just couldn't keep his mouth shut any longer. He let slip through his lips a single word, "Mom?" The effect was immediate.

Thalia was on him in an instant, her arms around his neck and her face buried in his neck. He suddenly realized she was crying when he felt the dampness on his shoulder. "You idiot," she yelled at him as she brought her face up to glare at him through her teary eyes. "Don't you ever, _ever_, do that to us again. To me again." She cuffed him up alongside the head before hugging him even harder. "I've lost you once already," she said quietly. "I don't think I'm strong enough to lose you again."

"What was it you guys were saying about my mother?" Percy asked timidly. After Thalia's rant had finished.

_That_ snapped Thalia's head around. "Oh, that. Right. Well, we were thinking that maybe we should take you to see your mother, you know, let her know you're alive."

Percy sat up while his stomach sunk. Something about the way Thalia had said that sentence made him feel uneasy. "What do you mean 'let her know you're alive'?" Suddenly Thalia's shoes were the most interesting thing in the room to her.

"You see, Percy, a-after the battle, when the gods…when the gods…_imprisoned_ you, we couldn't very well tell Mrs. Jackson where you had gone. It would've destroyed her. So we…we…"

"Lied to her," Luke finished for her.

Percy was silent for a moment. "What did you tell her?"

"Well, we didn't really tell her anything. We didn't have to," said Grover. "It was your father. He broke it really gently, you know, said how sorry he was and everything and-"

"Grover. _What did he tell my mom?_"

"That you had died defeating Kronos."

There was silence in the room, and it seemed to stretch on to infinity. No one moved or said anything. Suddenly Percy levered himself out of his bed. The instant he feet hit the floor he was striding to the door.

"Percy?" Grover asked. "Where are you going?"

"To my cabin, to gather some stuff up and get ready. Call Argus, or the Gray Sisters, I don't care. We're going on a little trip. And dress warmly, I hear New York's cold as Hades this time of year."


	5. V

**A/N** Hey guys, Sorry for not updating for so long i honestly forgot about this story. But i will continue it. Also I am looking for a beta.

**Disclamier:** I do Not Nor will ever own anything from PJO or From the brink by darkmyyst( some parts are taken from their story)

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**Chapter 5**

After The Sea God finished telling the tale, Poseidon turned to Percy, "Son, I'm so-"

Percy held up his hand. "You have no reason to apologize, dad. You did your best to keep me out of there."

"But still, my siblings are concerned-"

"Concerned?" Percy laughed. "If they're so damn concerned, why aren't they coming down here themselves to apologize?"

The sky rumbled ominously. Thalia looked up and murmured, "Relax, dad."

"Percy, I understand how resentful you must feel toward them, but please, do no more to intentionally provoke them. Incurring the wrath of an immortal always results in horrible tragedy, and I think you've suffered enough of that." Percy huffed and leaned back against the couch. "Also I'd like you to apologize, tomorrow"

"But why?" he mumbled looking at his dad's glare, he huffed. "I'll do my best,"

Poseidon smiled. "That'll do fine."

Annabeth coughed lightly. "Lord Poseidon, did you come here just to tell us about Mnemosyne adjusting our memories that day? You could've just Iris Messaged us for that."

"As always, daughter of Athena, you are sharp." Annabeth blushed slightly and glanced down at her feet. "You are correct, however. I have come not only to tell you all the truth of that day, but also to ask your opinion as to _why_ it happened."

"What do you mean?" Luke questioned. "I thought we determined that it was so that he could get revenge on Percy for defeating him?"

"We are concerned that he might have been after something else with the memory modification."

"What else could he have been after? Knowing Kronos, revenge would rate pretty high on his list of stuff to get done, wouldn't it?"

"True, Nico," Percy said as he stood and began to pace, "but there's something that would rate even higher."

"The destruction of Olympus," Annabeth breathed.

"To destroy Olympus was his highest ambition," Percy stated as he continued to pace, not appearing bothered by the fact that he had just repeated Annabeth's thought. "To the extent that he even had a backup plan in case he failed."

"The minor gods housed in the half-bloods," Luke offered.

Percy nodded. "So why," he stopped pacing and stood in the center of the room, "would our dear Titan Lord ruin his own plan just to get me into Tartarus with him?"

_There wasn't one, just forget about it._

Percy raised a hand to his face. _Shit, not now_. The voices were back. Well, voice, singular. A very particular voice. It belonged to him, Percy. Only, darker. Much, much darker. He wasn't sure if this meant that someone had managed to get in his head during those three years of torture and was now manipulating his thoughts, or if it was just the voice that his broken mind used to voice the thoughts from the darker portion of his psych. He wasn't sure if the voice was even real, or just a fabrication of his subconscious trying to tell him to stay away from anything that could result in more pain. Either way, all he really knew for a fact was that the voice had only appeared after Kronos had done what he had done to his arm, and that the voice was very, very persuasive. Most of what it said made perfect sense to Percy. His hand moved to grip his upper left arm. Maybe that was why he had thought it a brilliant idea to try and kill himself today. He didn't even know if his thoughts were his own anymore.

A thought suddenly struck Percy. "Unless he wanted to turn me into a weapon to use against the gods."

"What?!" Annabeth cried.

"Percy, what are you talking about?" Nico asked.

"Think about it. Kronos wanted to destroy Olympus, so he wouldn't just forfeit a chance like that. This means that the issue with both the demigods and Mnemosyne would have to contribute to some other plan of his, and since the direct outcome of those was me getting thrown into Tartarus, it's possible that that somehow plays a factor. It would make sense that way."

"No way," Annabeth said.

"You really think you've been changed into something dangerous, Percy?" Poseidon looked concerned.

Percy shrugged, avoiding looking at the anxious look on his mother's face. "I have no clue. I did my utmost to stay detached from what they were doing to me down there. They could've cast some magic on me or implanted some type of bomb in me, I'm not sure."

"If…if that's true, then what would we do?"

Percy chuckled at Luke's question before answering in a rather bitter voice. "You could always just throw me into some deep, dark place somewhere, and never let me out. That way there's be no risk of me turning against everyone. Besides," he shrugged again, "I'm used to it, at this point."

"Jackson…" Thalia growled warningly. "You better stop that line of thinking right now. You're not going through that again."

The voice was laughing. _Well, there is another way._

Percy chuckled darkly. "Well, there is another way."

"And that would be?"

The words came out of his mouth at the same time the voice spoke them in his head. "_Kill me_."

"Percy!" Annabeth cried out, horrified. His mother made a choking sound while Poseidon's grip on the arm of couch tightened considerably.

Thalia jumped to her feet and had taken two steps across the room, presumably to slap Percy, when the door to the apartment swung open to reveal a rather haggard-looking Paul Blofis.

"Sally! I'm sorry the program ran so long, the chairman just droned on fore-" he stopped mid-sentence and froze in place, his eyes soaking in the scene before him. They visibly widened as they swept first to the five demigods scattered over the room, then to Poseidon, before finally resting on Percy.

"Wh-What? Percy? I-Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me Paul."

"I…but…how…"

"It's a long story, and I think it's best if I leave it to my parents to tell you about it." Percy said

When the demigods got back Poseidon was waiting by the door to tell them to be at Olympus for 12:00 tomorrow for Percy's supposed 'apology'. They had their sleeping stuff with them and were especially thankful for it because they were definitely not going to let him be alone after that _Kill Me_ speech.

Everyone was gathered in the living area once again, still occasionally throwing out theories as to what Kronos' objective was. Otherwise, conversation was fairly normal.

"Could he have just been trying to hide something from us?" Luke asked.

"That's a possibility, actually," Percy said. None of them had touched on the 'Percy's a weapon' theory again. "We'll have to remember to tell dad about that."

"Hey, Perce what's under those bandages?"

"Don't be anxious now Nico. I'll tell you or rather show you what Kronos did to me." Percy said while everyone was waiting for the bandages to come off but instead he spoke "Tomorrow on Olympus."

A look of disappointment and yet relief was on each of their faces Before each of them murmured a goodnight considering the fact that they wouldn't be getting anything more out of Percy tonight at least. Percy stalked off into his room after saying goodnight. As soon as he fell asleep the nightmares, tremors or whatever you want to call it started. Hours later Thalia woke to walk towards the bathroom.

As she passed Percy's room, she thought she heard a small whimper. She stopped and listened. Silence met her. _Maybe it was just my imagina-_ But there it was again. It was whimpering. She listened harder. It came again, this time accompanied by sporadic movement, as if someone was thrashing.

Then came his voice; tiny, frightened, and broken. "Please, gods no. Not again." Thalia stood outside Percy's door, her lip trembling wondering whether to enter or not.

"Thalia!? THALIA!? Where are you!?"

As soon as she heard it, she had her decision, regardless of what Percy would think. She opened the door to find him thrashing around on the bed, hands grasping at his bed sheets. She moved to his side and leaned over. She gently reached out and touched his hand. His hand suddenly grabbed hers and held on tightly. She sat down on the bed beside him. He was never this erratic at camp.

"It's ok, Percy, I'm here. I'm here," she whispered as she reached up and slowly stroked his cheek. She ran a finger down the length of the scar on his temple. His trembling slowly subsided, his muscles relaxing. When he had calmed down, she lightly lifted herself off the bed and made to leave, but Percy was still tightly holding her hand.

"Thalia," Percy breathed, and she saw that his eyes were half lidded.

She was surprised to find herself pulled toward and onto the bed next to Percy, who wrapped his arms around her locking her in a death grip. She slowly kept trying to get out squirming and twisting until he spoke.

"Stay."

Thalia being as tired as she was complied. She looked up at Percy's face to find his eyes already closed again. He probably wasn't even aware of what he was doing. It was just some an action born out of the fear the nightmare had caused. He pulled her closer she snuggled tightly into his chest. Savoring the moment and feeling small bumps through his shirt that she would find out about tomorrow. Slowly but surely she fell asleep.

The next morning Thalia woke up in the icy embrace of Percy Jackson. She immediately blushed from the thought of him waking up like this. Eventually Thalia tried to manoeuvre her way away from his arms again but instead of getting out of his embrace she was greeted by a Thank you.

"Why?" she replied.

"Because that's the first time I slept peacefully since before the war" he said

"Oh" Thalia said immediately confused getting up from the bed. She left the room to go get her stuff hoping the others were still asleep, leaving Percy to change quickly. She unfortunately wasn't so lucky; she was greeted by stares of confusion as she stood there.

The voice was quiet now, perhaps quelled by the act of comfort Thalia had shown him last night, and he had time to think. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he needed to be around her more if that was the outcome. After all, Mnemosyne had messed with her memories, and Percy had done a rather incriminating thing, what with killing fifty half-bloods. To him though today felt strangely reliving yet also aggravating and shameful. Aggravating because he would have to apologize to the gods after what they put him through, Reliving because he wouldn't be thought as crazy anymore and won't have to go through this alone, yet shameful because yet again he had to apologize.


	6. VI

**A/N** Hey guys, Yippie Updated again. I hope this chapter answeres some of your questions. **Also I am really looking for a beta.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO, if i did would this exist?**

**Chapter 6**

**Olympus throne room**

Ten of the twelve Olympians were still shaking with anger due to Poseidon's son's outrage on Half-Blood Hill. They had ganged up on the old sea god and were yelling and circling his throne. Eventually Poseidon had enough and boomed in his old god voice. "QUIET!" the gods quieted down and returned to their thrones. "You all have gone too far have gotten too worked up over the outburst that my son Perseus had. For Hades sake he almost killed himself yesterday. Now, he has agreed to come here and explain himself."

"Why should we listen to _him_?" The king of the gods said putting a disgusted tone on _'him'_.

"Because of what you did to Percy, You hurt him in unimaginable ways!" The sea god growled through clenched teeth moving towards his brother in a fast motion. Zeus began to say something but was immediately cut off by Athena.

"All right but he only has one chance." said Athena stopping a war from happening and earning an angry glare from Zeus.

**Somewhere in Manhattan near the Empire start Building**

The Demigods walked down the cold streets of Manhattan towards the Empire state building. They were each spitting out ideas and kept pestering Percy about what he would say. Thalia had notice Percy had been staying as close to her. When she finally had enough of him she slowed down to whisper-yell at him.

"Why do you keep following me!?" Thalia hissed

"Because I want to?"

"You're lying that's not the only reason." She replied smirking and shocking him.

"Ow damn it. And No I'm not lying"

"yes you are…"

"no"

"yes"

"Nope"

"Yeah and I'm a hellhound" Thalia growled while she glared at him shocking him again. The piercing electric blue eyes, that he had grown to love and miss greatly, finally made him lose.

"…Because it dulls the pain" he said rubbing his arm where she shocked him.

"Pain?"

"Yes, It'll be explained on Olympus" Percy huffed meaning the end of that conversation and because they were at the Empire State Building. Annabeth had walked up to the counter and asked for the key to the 600th level the guard gave them a look over before nodding his head toward an elevator and giving them the key. On the elevator ride up Percy had draped his arm over Thalia's shoulders. They began the walk up to the throne room side by side until they reached the throne room doors Percy walked in with his arm still on the daughter of Zeus.

The moment he opened the door the other demigods bowed then went to their god parent (except Nico who just bowed). Percy just stood there and only acknowledged his dad Poseidon but only with a simple nod.

"_Perseus Jackson_ your father Poseidon has informed us that you came to explain yourself for your actions on half-blood hill!" Zeus bellowed still saying Percy's name bitterly.

"Yeah so if you'll be quiet and let me I'd like to start," Percy replied cynically. _"Without interruptions_!"

"So, Annabeth," Began Percy. "How have you been?"

"I've been…not bad. Redesigning Olympus takes up a lot of my time."

"Redesigning Olympus?"

"Yeah, the gods decided that it should be my reward for my contribution in the war."

He nodded. "So what did you get, Nico?" the room was still silent as Percy asked the question.

"I was made General of Hades. I can command all the powers of the Underworld, and I answer only to father within that domain."

"Nice. Grover?"

"I…I was made the new Lord of the Wild, to replace Pan."

Percy cracked a grin. "You deserve it G-Man. You always were the most dedicated of the Satyrs. Thalia?"

"I turned them down after they told me I wasn't allowed to spring you from Tartarus with my "reward." I told them I'd claim it another time."

Percy nodded. "Thank you. And Luke, I'm just going to assume that yours was not being cricified."

Luke shrugged. "I tried to get them to switch our sentences, my freedom with your imprisonment, but they wouldn't hear of it."

"Well, damn, thanks for trying though." He looked at them all in turn. "Do you see now why I've defied you the way I have? Why I stood against you on Half-Blood Hill? I know you all think I've been unstable since I got back. I'm trying to tell you why I did some of the things I did." He sighed. "I know this is coming out of nowhere and I'm not making any sense, but just, try to understand what I'm saying. That everyone who was involved critically in the final battle received great rewards, things that they could only dream of before. And here I am, the only one who saved Olympus, twice, and what did I receive for it?" He chuckled darkly "My reward was losing three years of my life to pain and torture. My reward was this." He raised his left arm, showing of the bandages.

"Is this why you defied us!!?" Zeus yelled getting more angry by the second. "BECAUSE YOU DID NOT GET A REWARD? YOU KILLED FIFTY DEMI-GODS YOU DO NOT DESERVE A REWARD!!"

"Relax Dad let him finish" Thalia said. And a reluctant Zeus sat back down.

"Thanks Thal" Percy said. "Like I said this is my reward."

"Perseus what exactly is that?" Athena asked. It was torture for her not to know what something was and she didn't know.

He looked at her, and she saw the pain in his eyes so clearly she was startled. "I think it's about time I tell all of you what exactly Kronos did to me." He seemed to have a sudden thought. "Actually, I think it'd be easier to just show you."

Percy removed his jacket, tossing it aside. He reached down and gripped the bottom edge of his long-sleeved shirt. Thalia leaned forward slightly. She was finally about to see what Percy had been keeping hidden from her all this while. Percy pulled his shirt over his head, revealing his bare torso.

Poseidon himself just stared wide-eyed at Percy while his mouth moved wordlessly. Grover cringed backward while Nico winced. Annabeth let out a horrified squeak and held her hands over her mouth. Luke looked as though he had been clubbed over the head. Thalia, for once, was at a low for words. Her face was furious, and her eyes were filled with so many tears, so much fire and hate it seemed that anything she looked at would burst into flames hotter than Phlegethon's. "That…fucking…_bastard_…" she growled out through gritted teeth. The goddesses were looking away in any direction but him. Aphrodite was crying and Artemis and Athena had huge amounts of sympathy for him even though they don't exactly like him. The other gods cringed even Ares pitied him, the god of war himself even though he hated him. Through there millennia of life none of them had seen anything as brutal as this.

Percy was covered in wounds, bruises, scars, and burns. Not an inch of untouched skin remained. The bruises were every shade of black, blue, and yellow and there were way too many to count. Long, jagged scars crisscrossed like a road map of hell across his chest and back, again too numerable to count. Slashes, some still looking raw and fresh, others appearing half-healed coated his torso. The skin on his right forearm and right side was scarred from burning, and some of it still appeared charred, as though it was still healing. There were several circular scars, and they lined up with others of the same sort on the opposite side; something had been thrust _through_ him, repeatedly. There was a scar shaped like a sickle on his upper right chest. It had been branded in.

"This…is my reward," Percy stated.

"P-Percy, I…I'm not sure if I should a-ask, but what's-" Nico's voice died.

Percy gave him a small smile. "What's under the bandage?" he indicated his left arm, which was still wrapped. Nico nodded feebly. "I've kept it covered up 'til now because the wrappings blessed by Apollo, sorry Apollo I got Grover to take it, so it helps with the pain and the healing, if it can even _be_ healed." He reached back over his shoulder and began to unwind the white gauze. Layer by winding layer the cloth fell away. As it did so, it revealed Greek letters spiralling down Percy's arm. Letters that had been carved into his skin.

"Percy," Annabeth whispered, "what is that?" He looked at her. He held out his left arm, now completely exposed. "Come here." She stood and walked to him, hardly believing that he was talking to her, let alone telling her to come to him. "Read them," he said quietly. "Read the letters, and then tell me what it is."

She slowly traced her fingers along the letters twisting around his arm, starting from the alpha in his palm. As her fingers slid over his marred skin, she could have sworn she felt Percy shudder. _His skin is so cold, almost like he's been in ice._ She reached the last letter, placed directly in between his shoulder blades. She understood what she was looking at, but she didn't want to believe it. "Oh gods. Oh gods, _Percy._"

"Tell them, Annabeth!"

"What is it, Annabeth?" Thalia sounded fit to explode.

"It's…it's a curse, written in ancient Greek."

"What's it do?"

"It…it contains the words 'eternal' and 'pain.'"

"So…?"

"It's constantly inflicting pain on him, Annabeth?" Thalia asked in a horrified voice.

She shook her head. "Th…There's more. It also has the words 'remember' and 'injury.'"

"No," Luke said, clearly having pieced together the full meaning of the curse.

Annabeth nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. "It doesn't just inflict pain. It draws from his memory the pain of any injury he's ever suffered, mental or physical, severe or small, and it makes him relive them all, the time."

"That's…That's…"

"The worst form of torture one can be subjected to," Percy finished for the floundering Grover. "Kronos discovered this fun little curse after about a month after I was placed in his care. He not only used a cursed blade, which in and of itself is excruciatingly painful, but he decided to go a bit further and make sure the blade was _literally_ white-hot before he carved the words into my arm. The pain from every wound I had ever endured damn near killed me. Lots of stuff damn near killed me. Like the bars of molten iron being thrust through my body repeatedly."He lightly touched the circular wounds. "But Kronos would never let me die. He always let me go straight to the edge of my limits, and then brought me back for another round."

"Percy…"

"For three years, For three damned years Annabeth, I had the joy to experience your words to me over and over again. I had the scene of the one I thought I loved betraying me, whether I wanted to or not, because of this curse." He lifted his arm and began rewrapping it. "It's playing in my head right now. And all the pain I've ever suffered is currently pulsing through my body. My right side's on fire, the place where Kronos branded me with his emblem burns with a pain you could never imagine. If I don't reapply the bandage now, I will most likely faint." He said "You see know why I did not knell to you on Half-Blood Hill? I want you to remember what each of you put me through!"

"Perseus" Began Apollo "We had no ide-"

"Save it Apollo" Percy said resentfully as he walked over to grab his shirt then walked out of the throne room. Each looking at each other at a loss of words; only one had the will to do anything. That was Thalia, she ran after the retreating figure that was Percy.


	7. VII

**A/N** first and foremost I would like to thank my Beta OldSpice2625... I enjoyed writing parts of this chapter a lot, all though parts of this chapter didn't come out the way i liked it to it still ended up pretty good.

**Disclamier:**I own nothing! (movie reference)

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**Chapter ****7 **

**Olympus Throne Room **

Not one of them had tried to stop Percy or Thalia from leaving. The eerie silent room from Percy's display was heavy. The Olympians were stunned, out of all the torture they put mortals and half-bloods through; this is the only one that had affected each of them personally. A tortured soul, every inch of pain that had gone through his body rested on their hands.

"You destroyed his life all of you" Annabeth quietly accused. "He was once so carefree so alive but now look what you did to him, what I did to him. He hides behind this happy and strong façade but really he is just scared and extremely miserable." On that final note she stormed out of the room wiping stray tears from her face.

"The girl is right. You all had a part in destroying my son's life!" Poseidon boomed voice echoing through the silent chamber. Not one god disagreed or had anything to rival that simple comment.

"I could try to heal him, if he lets me..." Apollo said trying to ease the sea god's anger. Although to no avail, Poseidon just nodded before dissolving into an ocean breeze returning to the ocean once more.

"Well, I never thought that runt could ever be through so much punishment." Ares said.

"Yeah you incorrect like always." Athena snickered, and with that remark their daily bickering started again as the council disassembled.

**The Edge of Olympus**

Percy sat on the edge of Olympus staring off in the distance watching the sun slowly go down making the city of Manhattan glow with a brilliant orange light. It would have been a lot more peaceful if the curse wasn't there or if he was never sent to Tartarus but regardless this was still beautiful. He just felt like sliding off of the edge of Olympus to stop the pain forever but he couldn't do that to his Mom, Dad, Paul, Grover, Nico, Annabeth and most important to him Thalia.

"Beautiful isn't it?" A familiar and pleasing voice spoke.

"Yeah it is." Percy replied, looking Behind him to see Thalia with a sad tear stricken face looking out at the sun before he turned back to gaze out at his city.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked quietly as if to not disturb the peace that hung in the air.

"Not at all, Take a seat" Percy said motioning for her to sit down, and with a sigh of relief, she complied.

"Percy, why didn't you tell me about all of this before?"

"Tell you what?"

"Your injuries... that curse.... everything." She said waving her arms at him.

"I didn't want you to pity me or feel burdened by it."

"Oh" She replied while resting her head against his shoulder. They shared a very comfortable silence while watching the city. The odd sensation that Percy felt this morning and last night happened again, he was relaxed.

"Hey Thalia, I heard about the Hunters, I'm sorry" Percy said trying to get the topic off of him.

"Yeah I'm not." She murmured.

"Why?"

"Well as great as it is to be a Hunter. I just figured that the lifestyle was not for me, y'know?"

"Yea, I can understand that." He replied, minty breath swooping through the air as his face inched closer to hers. He began moving towards her cautiously waiting for her to shock him.

"Are we interrupting something?" a voice asked.

"Maybe. Depends who's asking" Thalia said.

"How about us?" Answered Apollo standing side by side with his sister Artremis.

Thalia got up whipped around, bowed and said. "Lord Apollo, Lady Artemis." Leaving Percy just sitting there staring out upon Manhattan.

"You may stand Thalia" said Apollo "My sis would like a word with you though."

"That I would." Artemis pulled Thalia away into a close by Olympian garden.

"Yeah what do you want" Percy said, with bitterness and hate in his voice, still not looking at him.

"Hey, Percy." Said Apollo, in the most sympathetic tone the god could manage. "I would like to see if there is a way to help you"

"Why do you care? You're the ones who had me cast into Tartarus to suffer forever." Percy spat, resentment burning in his voice. "And that's what I got for three years."

"Listen Perseus, I know you must loath us for our decision, but please let us try to help you for your father's sake. He's in quite a bit of pain after seeing you."

"Fine." Percy grumbled earning a sly grin from the sun god.

"Great" said Apollo clasping his hands together. "Now let's see those wounds."

Percy took off his shirt once again and Apollo winced. Even for gods it was no easier to see it second time around.

"Okay Percy what did Kronos use to do this to you?"

"What do you think?" Percy asked, with a sarcastic edge to his voice.

"The scythe..." he said before muttering under his breath "_shit._"

"You and I already know that you'll just be doing this for cosmetic reasons right?"Percy said, and Apollo nodded. "Could you try to get rid of the burns and bruises, please? 'Cuz it's getting really hot wearing long sleeves all the time."

"I will try" said Apollo grinning; he began chanting in Ancient Greek a bright yellow light formed a pillar around Percy. It was closing in and Percy felt like the air was being sucked from his lungs and then as soon as it started it ended. Then Burns and bruises were gone but everything left by the scythe stayed, meaning the young man's troubles were far from over.

"Thanks, I guess."

**Meanwhile (With Thalia and Artemis)**

"Thalia I assume you know why I kicked you out of the hunters." Artemis assumed.

"Uh... because I saw Percy?" Thalia replied even though it sounded more like a question.

"Partly, also because you continuously left the hunters to do other things, which is not important right now."

"Okay... so is that all or is there something else you wanted to ask me?"

"Always strait to the point, that's what I like about you. Well there is another question I have for you. Why were you so persistent to get that boy out even though he was proclaimed a villain?"

"Well there was a combination of things." Thalia said, while Artemis motioned her to go on. "One I never thought that Percy was guilty and it seemed so out of character for him."

Pondering this Artemis asked. "Mhm, so if I was to offer you another spot in the Hunter's would you take it?"

Almost too quickly Thalia replied weekly. "No..."

"Why?"

"Well it's confusing right now I me-"

"You like Percy don't you?" Artemis said, while Thalia shook her head furiously. "Look, I know I am the goddess of maidenhood and all, but I'm not heartless remember Perseus helped free me too. So I'd understand if you care deeply for that boy."

"Maybe, well... Sort-of."

"That's what I thought" Artemis said before adding light heartedly. "Oh, and I swear by the Styx I will not turn him into a antelope unless at your discretion."

"Umm... Thanks I guess." Thalia replied laughing.

"But no matter how much you like him you must agree he is really stupid sometimes isn't he?" Artemis said grinning as they walked back towards Percy and Apollo.

"Yeah, isn't that right Perce?" Thalia asked, with a hint of sarcasm laced into her voice.

"Mhm" Percy replied.

Thalia stifled a laugh as Artemis and her brother Apollo counted to three. Once they hit three, it was like Percy suddenly had a startling revelation and quickly leapt to his own defence. "Wait……What? No I'm not!" Thalia, Artemis and Apollo started to laugh uncontrollably, at Percy's expense. After Percy and Thalia left to the elevators to regroup with the others, Poseidon appeared in front of the twins.

"Artemis, would you mind if you gave me and your brother a moment?" Poseidon asked even though it sounded more like a demand.

"No not at all." Artemis replied teleporting away from the other gods.

**The streets of Manhattan**

"So what do want to do?" Nico asked.

"Hey how about we see a movie?" Thalia said. All agreeing before they started to walk down the streets to the theatre.

"I can never see properly when I come out of movie theatres, you know?" Nico said as they emerged from said theatre. "I'm always afraid I'm gonna run into a pole or something."

"That's just cause you're a klutz, Dead boy" Thalia offered.

"A klutz who has an undead army behind him for support."

"Anytime you want to dance, di Angelo."

Luke stepped in before things could escalate, "All right now children, let's calm down." He shook his head. "I swear to Hermes, what are you guys going to do whenever I'm not here to stop you?"

"Kill each other, and do us all a favour."

"Oh? You wanna get in on this too, Jackson? I'm more than willing to make this a three-way battle if you want."

"Oh come on you all know I'd win." Percy replied smirking.

That was all fun, of course, until a hellhound burst out of the ground in front of them and pounced at Annabeth, eyes glowing and claws slashing.

Annabeth barely had time to utter a small "Eh?" before she felt a force slam into her from behind. She pitched forward, hitting the pavement hard and scraping up her knees and hands. The hellhound had soared over her, however, so she wasn't really going to complain about the small abrasions. It was far better than being dead. Annabeth rolled to her feet and whipped around to find the hellhound bearing down on her friends. Percy had chosen to keep Riptide away, and Thalia had done the same with Aegis. Chances are they didn't want to risk people seeing them wielding weapons in a public place. That'd be bad.

They weren't defenceless though. Percy had summoned water from somewhere, and it was swirling in a small, flowing circle around him. A small storm was brewing way high up, and Annabeth could already spot the lightning skittering through the dark clouds. As she watched, Nico raised his hand, and the ground cracked open, fire gushing forth from the fissure. Luke stayed ready in a defensive stance. Annabeth took a step or two toward them in order to keep from isolating herself.

The atmosphere froze in that one charged moment for what felt like an eternity, though it was most likely only a few seconds. And then it broke.

Percy was the first to strike. He slashed his hand through the water, and it shot out like fluid spears, the tips of which had frozen into sharp icicles. The hellhound ducked, leaped, and rolled to avoid them. It was fairly successful, earning only a gash or two along its flank. And then gouts of flame were after it, weaving in amongst the water spears, seeking to roast the beast alive. The hellhound was the most agile Annabeth had ever seen. It had thus far managed to dodge everything that had thrown at it.

Its luck didn't last too much longer though. A bolt of lightning came pelting down from the sky, slamming into the ground right next to the hellhound. The creature reared back in surprise, stopping it's movements for a second. That was all they needed. Five water spears burst through the hellhound's chest at different angles while fire swirled up around it, consuming everything it touched.

Thalia brought another bolt of lightning lancing down, striking the creature dead on this time. The force of the attack blew away the funnel of flames and water and left nothing but a pile of gold dust.

A moment of silence followed. "Well," Nico said, motioning toward the crack in the ground, making it flow back together seamlessly, "that wasn't too hard."

Thalia snorted. "With three kids of the Big Three here, I'd certainly hope not."

"Why the hell would a hellhound just up and attacks us, though?" Annabeth wondered aloud. "I thought that ever since Kronos had been defeated the monster attacks had become a lot less frequent and much more concealed."

"Not entirely sure, we need to report this to Chiron back at ca-"

"Guys," Percy interrupted Luke, staring at the remains of the hellhound. "Guys, look."

They turned and stared at what Percy had already noticed. The pile of golden dust that the beast had become was no longer a pile. It had spelled out, in Ancient Greek, a message upon the street, like a child would with chalk.

It was simple, but the indication and meaning were blazingly obvious. As was the sender of the message.

_Perseus Jackson here I come._ At the bottom of the message was a small symbol.

A sickle.

Percy just stood there staring down at the message alongside his friends. The brand was burning and literally felt like it was on fire right at this moment. Anger and hatred pulsed through Percy's veins after a moment he yelled. "What do you want? I haven't even been away for two weeks and you're already visiting me?" While Percy was out on his outburst other monsters from hellhounds to Minotaur's and back got the very message from Kronos. _Get Perseus Jackson._

The ground shook and storms brewed over head and everything shaking with it except for Percy. He was laughing manically now like he was insane again earning scared people to look at him. This made it easier to track him and soon they were surrounded.

_Yes!_ The voice inside him hissed. L_et me out, let me be free._

_Shit, shit, shit. Not now._

_Why? It seems a perfect time to unlock your true potential doesn't it? _The voice cackled.

_True potential?... No, it's not._

_Yes it is, Release me._

_That's the exact problem, who are you?_

_My, my, aren't we naive... _The voice taunted.

_We? There is no we. Who are you!?_

The voice cackled again. _Me? Well I'm you._

* * *

Well what did'ya think?

I really enjoyed writing the ending for this chapter and in my opinion i think it was the best part. What was your's?


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